Vice President Dr. M. Hamid Ansari has said that Sree Chitra Thirunal Balarama Varma was a strong administrator and a committed social reformer. The Maharaja of erstwhile Travancore will ever be remembered for his historic Temple Entry Proclamation and other vital initiatives that laid firm foundation for modern Kerala, he added.<br/><br/>Dr. Ansari said this after conferring the Sree Chithira Thirunal National Award 2015 on Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan in Thiruvananthapuram today. The award, instituted by the Sree Chithira Thirunal Trust, carries a cash prize of rupees one lakh and a citation.<br/><br/>Later, releasing a book entitled "Jawaharlal Nehru and Indian Polity in Perspective" in the city, the Vice-President said the Indian Constitution owed much of its liberal and progressive characters to the foresight and vision of leaders like Pandit Nehru. The eight-point resolution regarding aims and objectives the Constitution moved by Nehru in the Constituent Assembly set the tone for the Constitution drafting process, he added.<br/><br/>Governor Justice P. Sathasivam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other dignitaries participated. Earlier, Dr. Ansari was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival in Thiruvananthapuram this afternoon on the second leg of a three-day visit to the State. He is accompanied by his wife Mrs. Salma Ansari.